2013 ITA Division 1 Rule Changes

1. In Dual Matches, the doubles will be stopped when the doubles point has been won.

2. From January 1 through the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, (unless both coaches agree otherwise) all non-conference dual matches will use No-Ad scoring for the doubles only and will play the doubles tiebreak at 7-7.

MEDICAL TIMEOUT (Men's Rules)

If a player requests a medical timeout, he will be allowed three minutes combined for both evaluation and treatment. He will also receive a point penalty; however, this point penalty will not be part of the Code Violation point penalty system.

TOILET BREAKS

If a Division 1 player asks to use the bathroom break other than on a changeover or setbreak, it will be his/her one medical timeout. The men will also receive a point penalty. It will be timed like other bathroom breaks and lateness will result in time violations. This includes a toilet visit requested at the end of the warm-up.

TOILET BREAK (Women's Rules)

Division 1 women may have one three-minute bathroom break on the changeover (in addition to the 90 second changeover or 2 minute setbreak, allowing for total stoppage time of 4 1/2 minutes or 5 minutes on a setbreak). Returning late from this break will result in Time Violations (warning, point, point, etc.

1. In Dual Matches, the doubles will be stopped when the doubles point has been won.

2. From January 1 through the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, (unless both coaches agree otherwise) all non-conference dual matches will use No-Ad scoring for the doubles only and will play the doubles tiebreak at 7-7.

MEDICAL TIMEOUT (Men's Rules)

If a player requests a medical timeout, he will be allowed three minutes combined for both evaluation and treatment. He will also receive a point penalty; however, this point penalty will not be part of the Code Violation point penalty system.

TOILET BREAKS

If a Division 1 player asks to use the bathroom break other than on a changeover or setbreak, it will be his/her one medical timeout. The men will also receive a point penalty. It will be timed like other bathroom breaks and lateness will result in time violations. This includes a toilet visit requested at the end of the warm-up.

TOILET BREAK (Women's Rules)

Division 1 women may have one three-minute bathroom break on the changeover (in addition to the 90 second changeover or 2 minute setbreak, allowing for total stoppage time of 4 1/2 minutes or 5 minutes on a setbreak). Returning late from this break will result in Time Violations (warning, point, point, etc.

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How come the penalty rule (the sentence "The men will ...) differs from ATP rules?

Say that I got myself injured.
We come to a break
I took a medical time-out
The medical time-out is over.
I will start serving.
Am I 0-15 BEFORE STARTING SERVING?
Is it what you call a point penalty

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Yes. The coaches vote on these rules. This one, I am guessing is to help deter players from taking a medical timeout at "convenient" times of the match. And umpires and coaches are not doctors, and sometimes it's hard for a trainer to determine if its legit, so the best way is to make it across te board.

Yes. The coaches vote on these rules. This one, I am guessing is to help deter players from taking a medical timeout at "convenient" times of the match. And umpires and coaches are not doctors, and sometimes it's hard for a trainer to determine if its legit, so the best way is to make it across te board.

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I was NOT arguing whether the rule was sensible or NOT.
I was just trying to understand the rule.
I am a bit slow some days.
I understand that Div 2 and 3 still follow the "old" rule/no point penalty
Is it correct ?

I was NOT arguing whether the rule was sensible or NOT.
I was just trying to understand the rule.
I am a bit slow some days.
I understand that Div 2 and 3 still follow the "old" rule/no point penalty
Is it correct ?

Last year i watched Louisville play Indiana twice and both times the Louisville number one took a medical break when he was clearly just trying to disrupt the flow. I am not sure that this solves this sort of thing but at least it is being noticed.

Below is further clarification, now that the rules mentioned above have been written more clearly by ITA.

MENS DIVISION 1

1. If a player takes a Medical Time-Out, he will receive a point penalty. This point penalty is not part of the progressive point penalty schedule for code violations.

2. A player can take 1 Medical Time-Out per match.

3. A player can take 1 Medical Time-Out in the warm-up, and 1 Medical Time-Out in the match (for the same condition ONLY). If the player takes a Medical Time-Out in the warm-up, he still receives a point penalty, and then if he takes one in the match for the same condition, he will receive another point penalty.

4. If a player takes a bathroom break during or immediately after the warm-up, it will be considered his ONLY Medical Time-Out for the entire match, and of course, he will receive a point penalty.

5. A player can take an emergency bathroom break during the match (as long as he has not had a Medical Time Out already). If he takes an emergency bathroom break that is not at a changeover or set break, it will be considered his one Medical Time Out for the match (maximum of 3 minutes), and he will receive, yep you got it, a point penalty.

6. Medical Time-Outs are now limited to 3 minutes ONLY! No evaluation time allowed. When the trainer puts his/her hand on the player, the 3 minutes starts. If the trainer discusses the injury before hands-on, the chair umpire can allow 1 or 2 quick questions, but then the trainer and player must decide if a medical time-out will be taken. If yes, the 3 minute clock starts.

7. In the past, if a player was losing a match, and looked over at the scores and saw that his teammate was about to wrap up the dual, he could take a medical time-out down match point, hoping to stall his match until the dual was decided, to avoid a loss on his record, and cheat the opponent out of a win. Now, if a player is down match point, and requests a medical time-out, he will immediately be assessed a point penalty (as opposed to after the medical time-out at any other time of the match), and the match will be over.